Is it realistic to expect Conor McGregor to win the UFC lightweight title again?
There is nothing like a Conor McGregor fight in the MMA world. The attention that the Irishman brings to the sport is unparalleled. Whenever a Conor McGregor fight is on, people who are not big fans of the sport also tune in to watch the 'Notorious' fight. The entire fight week feels like a festival. The whole build-up to the fight - the trash talk, the antics, the mind games - produces enormous excitement for the fans. That is the aura that Conor McGregor has in the fight business.
But lately, Conor McGregor's star has not been shining as brightly as we were once used to. It's his actions outside the octagon, the good (charity work and #1 spot on the Forbes List of highest paid athletes), the bad (refusing to donate to Dustin Poirier's charity and making his private conversations with Dana White public) and the ugly (multiple lawsuits), that have kept him more relevant these days than his performances inside the cage.
Also read: How did Conor McGregor make enough money to top the Forbes list?
His last fight was against Dustin Poirier, which ended in a devastating KO loss for McGregor, the first in his entire MMA career. The defeat has put a lot of doubt among MMA fans as to whether the 32-year-old can still hang with the 'best of the best' inside the octagon. The question remains, is he past his prime already?
His January loss to 'The Diamond' is not the only thing that concerns McGregor's fanbase. His inactivity has also added fuel to the argument that the former-two division champion isn't the same fighter he was five years ago.
This is something McGregor himself addressed in his post-fight interview after his defeat to Poirier -
"You know, it's hard to overcome inactivity over long periods of time and that's just it...you don't get away with being inactive in this business and that's the way it is."
Conor McGregor's last significant win in the UFC was against Eddie Alvarez in November 2016. On that night, the Irishman became the first fighter in the history of the UFC to hold two championship belts simultaneously. But since then, he's fought a total of just four times in the last five years, including a boxing match with Floyd 'Money' Mayweather. Across that period, he has won only once.
His latest win came against Donald Cerrone. McGregor knocked out 'Cowboy' just 40 seconds into the very first-round. The victory, although impressive at the time, has not aged well considering the fact Cerrone has lost five of his last six fights.
That is not all. The UFC's lightweight division is currently a 'murderers' row', with fighters like Charles Oliveira, Michael Chandler, Beniel Dariush and Justin Gaethje occupying the top rankings.
So it is valid to ask whether it is still possible for McGregor to win the belt again...
Why Conor McGregor should not be counted out of the lightweight title Picture?
Now, there are a lot of reasons as to why people might feel skeptical about Conor McGregor returning to his former self. However, there are also a lot of arguments that can be put forth in favor of MMA's biggest superstar.
Firstly, it would be unfair to discredit McGregor on the basis of his last three losses without mentioning the opponents that he fought. His first loss came in the boxing ring to Floyd Mayweather, who is considered to be one of the best boxers to have ever lived. He still managed to go 10 rounds with him.
He was later submitted by Khabib Nurmagomedov in the octagon. 'The Eagle' retired undefeated with a record of 29-0. Conor McGregor's most recent loss came to Dustin Poirier in a rematch. He'd won the first fight via TKO in 2014, so the score is 1-1 as of now. McGregor also looked good in the opening round and tagged Poirier multiple times before the powerful calf kicks eventually caught up with him.
Another reason Conor McGregor should not be counted out of the lightweight title picture is because he has a tendency to defy the odds. A large section of MMA pundits predicted him to lose against Jose Aldo and Eddie Alvarez, but 'Mystic Mac' proved them wrong both times.
Also Read: 5 Incredible Conor McGregor Predictions That Came True Years Later
The final and simplest reason as to why Conor McGregor should still be considered a top contender is that MMA is as unpredictable as a sport can get. Crazier things keep happening in the sport on a fairly regular basis
It would not be far-fetched to say that McGregor still has a very realistic chance of regaining lightweight gold.